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Romance alive in the Coachella Valley for Valentine’s Day

By Skip Descant ;
10:22 p.m. PST January 31, 2014

Modernism Week, the three-day Presidents Day weekend and Valentine’s Day are expected to push hotel occupancy to strong levels across the Coachella Valley.(Photo: Gregg Felsen/Special to The Desert Sun)

For some couples, Valentine’s Day has grown beyond a box of Russell Stover and roses.

Or at least that’s what a number of hoteliers are hoping as they fashion couples packages to lure travelers for this year’s Valentine weekend, which also doubles as the three-day Presidents Day holiday.

Other hotels note the trend now is for these packages to become more creative, and function as an extension of the hotel’s brand and style.

“I think the big trend we are seeing is customization,” remarked Audra Poole, a marketing and public-relations professional representing the Charlston Place Hotel, a 440-room luxury hotel in downtown Charleston, S.C. “I.e., room, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries have been replaced with the ability to pick and choose extras to surprise and delight your sweetheart.”

The Valentine’s Day room service menu at the Charleston Place Hotel includes luxe items like oysters on the half-shell served with champagne, a dark chocolate fondue, a special wine-tasting flight of six wines selected by the master sommelier of the Charleston Grill, a specialty tea featuring ginger and pomegranate — both known for their aphrodisiac qualities — and even the opportunity to order a musician to serenade you in your suite.

The Miramonte in Indian Wells has an “Aphrodisiac Cooking Class” today where Diane Brown Savahge, author of “The Seduction Cookbook,” will teach couples how to use food to create “a sense of romantic anticipation.” The class is $45 per couple and includes a glass of wine, recipes, food sampling and a copy of the book.

The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Date Night at the Riviera Palm Springs, which includes dinner for two, a reserved pool bed at the Bikini Pool and other enticements, is $896, plus tax for the night. Those booking specifically for the Valentine’s package can book by phone, say hotel officials. And the offer is gaining lots of interest.

“The resort is intending to sell out over the holiday weekend,” said Ashley Nugent, a spokeswoman with The Zimmerman Agency, the public-relations firm representing the Riviera.

Delightful as this level of extreme pampering will be for couples at the Charleston Place or the Riviera and other hotel spots, long-distance out-of-town travel is not the norm for Valentine’s Day, say travel experts, despite the long three-day weekend this year.

“We haven’t really seen an real change in Valentine travel this year,” said Mark Drusch, chief supplier relations officer for CheapOair, and a 20-year veteran of working in top tier management in the airline industry, speaking this week from his office in Dallas.

“Primarily because Valentine’s is the Friday before the Presidents Day weekend. So what we’re seeing is our typical Presidents Day weekend travel pattern.”

Some of the top destinations for the Presidents Day weekend include Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, along with Phoenix and Las Vegas as travelers look for a warm reprieve from what has been a colder than usual winter for much of the country.

“I think what we’re seeing is, people, No. 1, just want to head out to some place warm, which is typical for this time of year,” said Drusch.

Here in the Coachella Valley, area hotels are expected to be at capacity as the region welcomes three-day-weekend vacationers and the opening of Modernism Week in Palm Springs, expected to draw more than 40,000 attendees over its 10-day run.

And if Presidents Day, Modernism Week and Valentine’s Day aren’t enough to fill hotel rooms, President Barack Obama is set to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage that weekend, a meeting sure to attract numerous dignitaries and staffs for each leader.

The La Quinta Club and Resort — which doesn’t typically create special packages around Valentine’s Day because most guests seem to prefer a more unstructured experience, said Josh Herman, a spokesman for the resort — expects to be at or near capacity over the mid-February weekend.

Developing the desert as a romantic getaway is a market tourism leaders in the area would like to further explore.

“Romance is a niche market that we are targeting,” said Scott White, president and CEO of the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Research shows that our destination ranks very high for couples, and as a romantic place.”

The CVB plans to develop programs and packages with couples in mind and make sure this information ends up in the hands of travel writers and others who could move the needle toward listing the Coachella Valley as a top romantic destination in the United States, White added.

“This year it falls on a Friday and a three-day weekend which will help,” White said of the the Valentine-related travel the region will experience.

“It should drive visitors to come in early and take advantage of the great restaurant opportunities,” he added. “Also a great time to get engaged, especially at our beautiful hotels and resorts.”